OK, after experiencing that disappointing Bluetooth failure using the Momentum 2s, I decided to get serious.
I'm having a Bluetooth headphone shootout.
Sennheiser Momentum 2s vs. Definitive Technology Symphony 1s vs. Denon AH - GC20s.
As I write this, I'm in a Starbucks, right next to the sandwich oven, eight feet from the bean grinder, and sitting close to an ever-changing group of customers.
I'm connected to a brand spankin' new Dell XPS 15...(insane)...connected only by Bluetooth...no DAC, no cables, no amps. And I'm listening to 'Vivaldi, the Four Seasons,' by Joshua Bell. I chose that because I'm writing, and I write better with classical than contemporary.
Let the games begin.
I started with the Definitive Technology Symphony 1s. First of all, their ANC was superb. They blocked out almost every sound in the place. I have big ears. And the Def Techs are truly 'over-ear' headphones...as in, my entire ear is inside the oval...and the padding wraps around everything next to the ear...but again, the ear is all the way inside the padding. So, I'm guessing that the passive noise cancellation is more robust than the others. Add the ANC to the mix? I could hear virtually nothing - but the music.
Also, the DTs manage the loudest signal. I had to back them off, they were so loud. And the overall sound of the DTs was wonderful. I like bass - but bass presented with power and musicality within a crystal-clear soundstage of mids and highs. If a sub hits? I want my headphones to bring it. The DTs did not disappoint. Frankly, they sounded phenomenal. Absolutely glorious.
Plus - there was zero Bluetooth interference. None. I might was well have been wearing wired headphones at home, the sound was so stable.
I wore the DTs for an hour, comfortably. I had to pull the earcups down all the way...and when totally maxed - they fit. I wish I had another 1/2"...but I don't. Along with those big ears I also have a big head, and the DT's headband - at first - seems like it'll hurt because it presses down on the top of my head. But after 2 minutes I never noticed it again.
After the hour was up, I switched to the Sennheiser Momentum 2s.
Again - phenomenal sound. Just flipping beautiful. Bass, mids, highs...power in every part of the register, and clarity unlike most other headphones on the planet. (I've tried these with amps - and OMG...)
The ANC was nowhere even close to the DTs. As I sit here writing, I hear the overall conversations throughout the Starbucks. I hear the barrista making mochas 25 feet away. Everything in the place is easy to hear, except when the music cranks into high volume. When I remove the headphones, the sounds are much, much louder...but still...I do not have the same 'close to silent' experience with the Senns that I have with the DTs. The Senns are 'over ear,' but the earcups are WAY smaller than the DTs. And their earpads rest on my ears...and the edges of the earpads kind of wrap down and around them...But feeling around, I can touch parts of my ears that are just barely covered.
But the sound...OMG...the sound was phenomenal.
This is the same Starbucks where, last week, I had awful BT interference with the Senns....But that day I was using an ultra-cheap Dell Chromebook. The same pair of headphones, via the brand new, totally cutting edge, maxxed-out Dell XPS 15, were solid as a rock. Makes me think it was the Chromebook's fault last week - not the headphones. I know the Senns have a rep for static and dropouts...but in my case, it appears to have been the Chromebook's fault, because today - Shootout Day - no interference at all. Rock-solid, perfect, not even a stutter.
OK..hour two with the Senns. Totally enjoyable experience. They are very comfortable...the headband 'rests' on my big head, it doesn't 'press down.' And I don't have to pull the earcups all the way down like I do with the DTs. I have about a 1/2" to go on each side. Oh wait - sandwich is ready - heard those beeps clear as a bell. Plus - when my head is down, and I'm typing...the Senns are quieter than when I raise my head. The sounds of Starbucks get louder as I look up. Hmmm. I've had that issue before with the less expensive Denon NC headphones.
Let's launch the Denons...but first - with the Senns, when I fold them up...I always feel like the end of the metal arms the cups are attached to are going to slice through the drivers...guess that's why they include foam rubber pads that go inside the cups when folded...
The Denon AH-G20's are sooooooooo comfortable. The headband is a big padded arch...if I pull the earpads all the way down, I have a full inch between the top of my head and the band. Which means I have travel left from the comfort position and the fully-extended position. These still do not completely cover my ears like the DTs...more like the Senns...they sit on my ears, covering about 80% of them, but I can easily touch parts of my ears that are close to the edge of the pads.
Just watched the sandwich maker get one out - I haven't heard the beeps like I did with the Senns. The ANC on the Denons is better than the Senns. Plus, I can turn the ANC on and off. I like that. You can also do that with the DTs, but not the Senns...it's always on whenever the headphones are powered up.
The Denons sound great. Plenty of bass. But there's not a sense of that angelic, pure clarity like there is on the DTs and the Senns. The music has plenty of tone, but something is missing. Like you hear the notes - and you know the artist is going higher and higher on the violin...but I don't really feel the excitement. They sound good. But I'm just not feeling the passion - like I did with the Senns and the DTs. There's an urgency and excitement and passion that's just - not there.
Does that make sense?
OK - another difference with the Denons. When the earcups are extended down, the beautiful brushed aluminum frame parts, and reveals a very utilitarian-looking bar. So you have, from top-to-bottom, beautiful frame - a not-beautiful metal bar - and then beautiful frame. They look like they're extended...because they are. The DTs and Senns don't. When fully extended, the design doesn't change - so they always look great.
The Denon's BT signal, like the others, has been rick solid. Not a stutter, not a peep.
OK, I've gone on long enough. I will return the Denons, due to the lack of crystal-clear sound, and a lack of urgency in its delivery. lthough I'll miss that extraordinary comfort.
And I will reluctantly return the Sennheisers. What a sound! But they are not as loud as the DTs. Very, very comfortable, though. Finally, the deciding issue - the noise-canceling is not in the same league as the pair I will keep....
The Definitive Technology Symphony 1s. Insanely good noise noise canceling. Big heavenly, glorious sound. Big earcups, which wrap completely around my big ears. The design is awesome, with its chrome and black, and did I mention that sound? Unbelievable that I was listening to Blutetooth headphones.
Hope this helps!